Buca is a district of
İzmir Provinceİzmir is a province of Turkey in western Anatolia on the Aegean coast, whose capital is the city of İzmir . On the west it is surrounded by the Aegean sea, and it encloses the Gulf of İzmir. Its area is 11,973 km.2, population 3,769,000 . The population was 3,370,866 in 2000...
of
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
. It is one of the metropolitan districts of Greater
İzmirİzmir, historically Smyrna, is Turkey's third most populous city and the country's largest port after Istanbul. It is located along the outlying waters of the Gulf of İzmir, by the Aegean Sea. It is the seat of İzmir Province, which has an area of 7350 km
2...
.
Buca was one of the preferred settlement areas of İzmir's community of Levantines. The great mansions they built in the 19th century stand to this day, most of them restored.
The district center is situated slightly inland like the district of
BornovaBornova is a district of İzmir Province in Turkey. It is one of the nine districts in the Greater Metropolitan Area of İzmir, the third largest, and is almost entirely urbanized at the rate of 98,6 per cent, with corresponding high levels of development in terms of industry and services...
with which it shares important points in common, and on the higher ground that commands the southern shores of the tip of the
Gulf of İzmirThe Gulf of İzmir , formerly known as the Gulf of Smyrna, is a gulf on the Aegean Sea, with its inlet between the peninsula of Karaburun and the mainland area of Foça. It is 40 miles in length by 20 miles in breadth, with an excellent anchorage.The city of Izmir, an important Turkish seaport,...
.
Buca is a district of
İzmir Provinceİzmir is a province of Turkey in western Anatolia on the Aegean coast, whose capital is the city of İzmir . On the west it is surrounded by the Aegean sea, and it encloses the Gulf of İzmir. Its area is 11,973 km.2, population 3,769,000 . The population was 3,370,866 in 2000...
of
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
. It is one of the metropolitan districts of Greater
İzmirİzmir, historically Smyrna, is Turkey's third most populous city and the country's largest port after Istanbul. It is located along the outlying waters of the Gulf of İzmir, by the Aegean Sea. It is the seat of İzmir Province, which has an area of 7350 km
2...
.
Buca was one of the preferred settlement areas of İzmir's community of Levantines. The great mansions they built in the 19th century stand to this day, most of them restored.
The district center is situated slightly inland like the district of
BornovaBornova is a district of İzmir Province in Turkey. It is one of the nine districts in the Greater Metropolitan Area of İzmir, the third largest, and is almost entirely urbanized at the rate of 98,6 per cent, with corresponding high levels of development in terms of industry and services...
with which it shares important points in common, and on the higher ground that commands the southern shores of the tip of the
Gulf of İzmirThe Gulf of İzmir , formerly known as the Gulf of Smyrna, is a gulf on the Aegean Sea, with its inlet between the peninsula of Karaburun and the mainland area of Foça. It is 40 miles in length by 20 miles in breadth, with an excellent anchorage.The city of Izmir, an important Turkish seaport,...
. Buca started to develop as of the end of the 17th century when the
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
consulate in İzmir moved there following the 1676 plague and the 1688 earthquake that seriously shook İzmir's core as an international trade center. Its rich Levantine residents who acquired the surrounding vineyards typically had
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...
backgrounds, as opposed to those who originally came from
BritainGreat Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island. With a population of about 59.6 million people, it is the third most populated island on Earth. Great Britain is surrounded by over 1000 smaller...
and who preferred Bornova. But in the case both of Bornova and of Buca, the concentration in terms of ethnic backgrounds was far from having an exclusive nature.
Many of the
19th century housesLevantine mansions of İzmir refer to about twenty stately residences, dating principally from the 19th century and of which a significant number remain intact to this day, by being restored and continuing to be used and visited, in İzmir, Turkey. They were built either by prominent Levantines or...
have been restored and are still being used either by public institutions or by private persons, although many still need care. There is a
CatholicThe word Catholic is derived from the Greek adjective , meaning "universal". In the context of Christian ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages. For some, the term "Catholic Church" refers to the church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, made up of the Latin Rite and the 22...
and a
BaptistA Baptist is a Christian who subscribes to a theology and may belong to a church that, among other things, is committed to believer's baptism and, with respect to church polity, favors the congregational model...
church in service. The core area of Buca could preserve its traditional architectural tissue based on cosy two-storey residences, while apartment blocks mushroomed in its extensions, as it is the case in all localities in Turkey which had to absorb immigration. There are a number of beautiful municipal parks, notably a vast ongoing project that comprises seven artificial lakes.
Dokuz Eylül UniversityDokuz Eylül University is one of the preeminent universities in Turkey. The university is located in İzmir, Turkey. It was founded in 1982 and is organized in 10 schools...
, one of the two larger universities in İzmir, has its newly-built main campus located in Buca, in the locality called Tınaztepe. While the university has dependencies scattered all over İzmir, it is largely associated with Buca, in the same way as the other large university,
Ege UniversityEge University is a public university in İzmir, Turkey. It was founded in 1955 with the Faculties of Medicine and Faculty of Agriculture...
, is associated with Bornova.
The
hippodromeA Hippodrome was a Greek stadium for horse racing and chariot racing. Some present-day horse racing tracks are also called hippodromes, for example the Central Moscow Hippodrome....
of İzmir is located in Buca, in the quarter named Şirinyer along the road to İzmir metropolitan center, and the hippodrome is known under the name of this quarter (as
Şirinyer Hipodromu). Şirinyer area used to be called Kızılçullu, in reference to a legend according to which Tamerlane would have established his headquarters here during his 1402 siege of İzmir (
"Kızılçullu" meaning "red horseclothes"), and Buca's Levantine population, who owned orchards and vineyards here, had named the area under the no less assumptive name of Paradiso.
Çevik BirÇevik Bir was a member of the Turkish General Staff in the 1990s. He took a major part in several important international missions in the Middle East and North Africa...
, the retired Turkish general who was the force commander of during the
United NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and the achieving of world peace...
' Operation Restore Hope in
SomaliaSomalia , officially the Republic of Somalia and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic, is a country located in the Horn of Africa...
and an influential figure in Turkey's politics and diplomacy in the 1990s, is from Buca and a public square is named after him.
See also
- Levantine mansions of İzmir
Levantine mansions of İzmir refer to about twenty stately residences, dating principally from the 19th century and of which a significant number remain intact to this day, by being restored and continuing to be used and visited, in İzmir, Turkey. They were built either by prominent Levantines or...
- Dokuz Eylül University
Dokuz Eylül University is one of the preeminent universities in Turkey. The university is located in İzmir, Turkey. It was founded in 1982 and is organized in 10 schools...
- Cemil Şeboy
Cemil Şeboy is the former mayor of Buca District of İzmir Province, Turkey....
http://www.bucaortami.com is the most popular local portal of Buca
External links